A doctor has revealed how many times you should be pooping to stay healthy...
Going to the bathroom to do your business isn't something we openly broadcast to the world, but it's something that we all do.
So before we delve into an article about poo, we need to acknowledge that everybody poops and that's okay.
I'm sure we all have our routines, which makes it easier to not be caught short out in public.
Anyway...
Whether you're a frequent visitor to the bathroom or someone who only goes a couple of times a week, understanding what's normal can be reassuring.
Some individuals feel the urge to go after every meal, while others might find themselves making a trip to the restroom just a few times a week.
According to gastroenterologists, if your bowel movements are "smooth and snake-like," you are likely in good health.
For those who need to relieve themselves after each meal, this is known as a gastrocolic reflex, a normal bodily function.
Dr. Christine Lee, a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic, explains that this reflex is triggered when food enters the stomach, causing it to expand and allowing nutrients to be absorbed.
Within 15 minutes, the release of hormones such as cholecystokinin (CCK) and motilin occurs, prompting digestive enzyme release and bile production to aid in digestion.
However, if certain foods consistently send you running to the bathroom, this could indicate an underlying issue such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), anxiety, celiac disease, or specific food allergies, all of which can cause an overactive gastrocolic reflex.
Dr. Lee emphasizes that the frequency of bowel movements varies from person to person, with a healthy range being anywhere from three times a day to three times a week.
"If the quality of the bowel movement is not great," she told Yahoo. "Some people will need to go two to three times back to back in a matter of one to two hours.
"Despite going to the restroom multiple times, this would still ‘only equal one good-quality bowel movement.’"
Additionally, factors such as diet play a significant role in bowel regularity. High fiber intake and coffee consumption have a laxative effect, potentially increasing the frequency of visits to the bathroom.
In essence, while it can typically take between 10 and 72 hours for food to cause a bowel movement, everyone's digestive system operates at its own pace.
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